Long before I ever had the pleasure of interning there in college, I had been finding mountains of inspiration in the artistic photography of W Magazine. While a fashion magazine might not be the first place one would look for interior design inspiration this magazine is a treasure trove of beautiful imagery. One of the most memorable interior images has to be this view of a hall leading to the Duchess of Alba’s private apartments in one of her six Spanish palaces. Because of this photograph I can’t walk down a long narrow hall without imagining it with a celestial ceiling mural. While the barrel vault certainly doesn’t hurt the drama factor either I imagine that would be slightly more of a challenge to replicate. Luckily the most dramatic aspect, and likely the easiest to replicate, is the wonderful lighting, a combination of table lamps interspersed with spot lit artwork for a dramatically mysterious effect. The Duchess of Alba also known as the most titled woman in Europe has a fascinating story of her own to tell. With a lineage so noble it is said the Queen of England should bow to her, she is not required to kneel before the Pope, and perhaps strangest of all she reserves the right to enter the Seville Cathedral on horseback.
Photo by Simon Watson
